Slavko has long been forbidden from ordering his favorite dishes at Asian restaurants; fried eggrolls, teriyaki, pad thai. The goal of our weekly adventures, after all, is to expose him to all the other awesome options out there. But it only seemed fair to allow him to return to his comfort zone every now and then. “Comfort zone” being a relative term of course, as he still wasn’t going to be eating stuffed peppers and sauerkraut rolls. He could however, rekindle his love affair with Pad Thai. May Thai (1612 N 45th Street) in Wallingford serves arguably the best Pad Thai in the city. SW’s previous food critic, the beloved Jonathan Kauffman, is a big fan. It is certainly the most expensive Pad Thai at $15.50 a plate. But it is prepared so beautifully that the cost is worth enduring – at least once, anyway. Slavko was happy just being able to say, with gusto and expertise in his voice, “I’ll take the Pad Thai with chicken!”That “Pad Thai with chicken” was more elaborate than he was accustomed to. “Have you had this dish here before?” the server inquired when she returned with our food. When Slavko answered no, she smiled. “We do it a little differently here.”She set down a wooden plate of golden-brown noodles, accompanied by purple petals and red spice. “This is banana blossom, it adds some crunchy texture to your food,” she explained as she tore several petals off said blossom with her bare fingers and dispersed them on the noodles. Then she asked Slavko his spice preference. He answered “medium” and she stirred roasted peanuts, sugar, and chili into the medley with a large fork and spoon. Slavko watched with keen interest. “Enjoy,” the server said.”That was like the table-side Caesar Salad service!” Slavko marveled as she walked away. He eagerly dipped into the Pad Thai. He remained silent for several minutes, twirling noodles around his fork and taking bites with seeming purpose. Then, the compliments began flowing. He loved the presentation, the fresh ingredients, the way that in comparison to other versions he’d had, he could actually distinguish the different flavors within the stir-fried noodles. “It’s even a different color!” He was obviously used to eating Western-friendly Pad Thai, noodles gleaming with grease and glowing an alarming shade of red because they’ve been cooked with ketchup instead of tamarind sauce. He was able to finish the less heavy version with ease. “Best. Pad. Thai. Ever.”Then, he exclaimed, “Can you believe how nice the waitress was? She made the whole thing in front of me, and even explained it!””They do that for everyone.””Well, thanks. That makes me feel a lot less special.””Sorry.”Regardless, Slavko remained in high spirits. “You know, I like all these curries and dumplings I’ve been trying, but right now, I love Pad Thai more than ever.”